Chosen Solution
First, I change the laser by following the guide here on iFixit. Unfortunately, changing the laser didn’t fix my problem. I come across a forum post suggesting restoring the file system might fix the (original) problem of the console not reading discs. I thought I’d try it since I figured there was nothing left to lose. Well, it turns out I had a lot more to lose as now my console will not launch an app or game but instead it stays on a black screen. I’ve tried reformatting the hard drive, and then rebuilding the database and restoring the file system again to no avail. I haven’t found anything helpful on Google other than perhaps a failing hard drive? Could I have done something wrong when I changed the laser? Perhaps my hard drive happened to die at the worst moment? Any one else have any ideas? Thank you for your help, ~Brett
Can’t see it being anything else than a faulty hard drive as you tried apps and they don’t work. You can check the hard drive health by taking it out of the PS3 then plugging it into a desktop computer and using Hard Disk Sentinel to see the health of the hard drive. If there are any bad or weak sectors, or any other relevant errors reported then replacing the hard drive is strongly recommended.
When I first turn it on it goes straight to a black screen
